By Neena Strichart
Two major thoughts come to my mind this week: our nine-year anniversary and the Signal Hill election.
First things first— Tuesday, February 24 was the nine-year anniversary of our first issue. Then called “The Signal,” that first issue was conceived in my dining room with help from a handful of staff members sharing one table and one phone. By the time we moved into our offices on Myrtle Avenue, we were struggling to find equipment at a reasonable cost. Goodwill, Out of the Closet and donations of office equipment from friends and family were our salvation. Our budget was nearly non-existent. Our camera was a 110 model held together with duct tape, and our photo lab was the one-hour counter at Costco. There was no money for a copy machine, so we made our copies on our inexpensive fax machine. We had one computer— used for layout— with no Internet. I had to run home several times a day to put any email messages we received on floppy disks. It was nuts.
There are so many details that I could share, but alas I have neither the time nor the space to elaborate— nor, I’m sure, do you want to read about the minutiae of our beginnings. If you do— just give me a call.
My point is that we started on a shoestring, and unfortunately, due to this lousy economy, we find ourselves back on that same shoestring. It’s becoming more and more frayed as the days go on. For those of you who enjoy the paper and who wish to congratulate us on our nine years, PLEASE DO NOT send us an anniversary card; instead, send us the buck or two it would have cost. We distribute 25,000 papers per week, and I figure if even 10 percent of our readers sent us a buck, we’d have a little cash to pay for some of the luxuries around here—like rent. For nine years we have relied on the advertising dollars of our local small businesses to help us bring you the best paper we can. With the way things are going for them, I think it is time to appeal to our readers to help subsidize our endeavors. We enjoy bringing you our weekly miracle and need your help to keep going. Thanks for listening— we appreciate you all.
Now, for my second thought!Tuesday, March 3 is Election Day in Signal Hill. Residents need to get out and vote. Those who prefer absentee ballots need to keep in mind that vote-by-mail ballots are due to city hall or to any polling place by close of polls on Tuesday, March 3. POSTMARKS DO NOT COUNT!! Voters who will not be in the area on Election Day should get their ballots in the mail to ensure they arrive in time to be counted. Ballots received after 8pm on Tuesday will not be opened. One vote can make a difference— just ask Councilmember Larry Forester, or as we call him, “Landslide Larry.” He won his reelection two years ago by ONE VOTE, which proves every vote does count.
